Page 23 of Lovers at Seaside
“Grayson,” she whispered in a shaky breath.
The desire in her voice slithered under his skin and blazed straight to his core. He gathered her hair over one shoulder and dragged his tongue along her sensitive skin, pausing to press a series of kisses to the curve of her neck. She was breathing hard, her nails digging into his chest, as he placed openmouthed kisses along the base of her neck. He continued the tantalizing assault, savoring the rampant beat of her pulse against his tongue. She tasted of summer and sweet goodness he never knew existed. In one swift move, he swept her body beneath him, cradling her head as he came down over her, reveling in the passion in her eyes, the feel of her soft curves beneath him for the very first time. She rocked against him. Torture didn’t begin to describe the torment of holding back, but it was exquisite torture.Slow, slow, slow.
“We’re going to be so good together,” he promised. “When we’re ready.”
A whimper escaped her, and he pressed his mouth to hers, holding back from deepening the kiss, because if he did,slowwould turnfierce. He wanted fierce, but first…
“Tonight I’m going to kiss you until you can’t feel your lips.” His lips brushed over hers. “Until your body is weak with wanting and your mind is so full of us that you taste us tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek, her neck, her jaw, and the air left Parker’s lungs in another dreamy sigh. “Until kissing me is the only thing you can think about.” He sealed his lips over her neck and sucked, earning a wanton moan. She arched against him, fisting her hands in his hair, testing his control.
“And then I’m going to kiss you some more.” He slanted his mouth over hers and made good on that promise.
Chapter Eight
THE NEXT MORNING Parker awoke without the weight of grief making it hard to breathe. This she was sure of, because the tightness in her chest had begun much farther south. She was filled with need just thinking of the way he’d kissed her last night. Hours of exquisite, languid kisses, on her neck, her face, her shoulders, her ears. He’d licked and sucked and kissed every inch of her skin from her shoulders up, never once going lower, and by the time he left she was boneless and numb and on the verge of release. And through it all he’d said the sweetest things, making her feel special and cared for. Even more so—she’d felt treasured and cherished, like she’d pretended to feel in some of her roles. She closed her eyes, remembering how it felt to have his weight bearing down on her, his mouth on her skin, his words floating around her. She wanted to feel his strength and passion with nothing between them. She’d feltallof him last night, and now, as she remembered just how good he felt rocking against her, she pushed her other hand beneath the sheets. It had been a long time since she’d pleasured herself, and even longer since she’d been with a man. It only took a minute before she felt the tease of pleasure just out of reach. Gritting her teeth, she was almost th—
Woof!
Her eyes flew open. Christmas was sitting on the floor with his snout on the bed, watching her.Really?She closed her eyes, trying to get back into the game, but now all she could hear was Christmas breathing instead of the sound of Grayson kissing her. She opened one eye.
“Go lie down,” she coaxed.
He whimpered. She closed her eyes, hoping he’d go lie down. He whimpered again, and she reluctantly opened her eyes.Ugh!She righted her panties and threw off her covers, no match for his sad puppy eyes.
“I haven’t had an orgasm in months, and you pick this second to ask to go out?” She went downstairs and let him outside, and by the time she returned to the bedroom, the moment had passed. She needed a very cold shower. Ice cold.
Arctic.
She might need to take two.
She showered and dressed and put on her Parker Collins face, thinking more clearly than she had in weeks—and sexier than she had in…ever. She hadn’t realized how consumed she’d become in wallowing and holing up. Bert wouldn’t have wanted that.Shedidn’t want it, and she was ready to finally take a step forward. With the plans Grayson had drawn for the railing, she went out to the yard where Christmas was chasing birds from one end of the bluff to the other.Glad you’re happy. Orgasm killer.
The sun shone brightly, warming the early-morning air. Parker spread the plans out on the patio table and marveled at Grayson’s talent. The railings he’d designed were bold and unique, like him. He went with an oceanic theme of sea grass and fish and twisted metals that gave the effect of waves carrying the fish up the stairs. She never would have thought to have living creatures on a railing. He had such sharp vision, and he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind or challenge her thoughts.Or kiss me until I’m numb and boneless and make me feel so very cherished it scares me.
She lifted her eyes from the designs, unable to focus on anything more than how he’d made her feel last night. She walked to the edge of the yard and watched a young family playing on the beach below. These feelings couldn’t be real, not after just a few days. Could they? She knew those months of emailing counted, too, but it was still fast, wasn’t it? Or was she in such a state of grief from losing Bert that she was misplacing her emotions? She’d never been one to have fleeting emotions, but she knew how fleeting emotions could be for others, and she didn’t want to read more into Grayson than she should. She worked in an industry where nothing was valued beyond what it could do to further a person’s career. Where things and people were equally replaceable. She’d seen it in her professional dealings and in her personal life. The guys who asked her out fell into three categories. Those looking for eye candy.But pretty isn’t special. Pretty is genetic.Men who wanted a quick lay.Wrong girl for that.And then there were the guys who wanted to use her as a stepping-stone for their careers. Having their pictures taken with her made them the daily dish, and hot gossip brought exposure. She could usually spot those guys a mile away. The few guys she’d actually dated had been what she called the Great Pretenders. They’d slipped through her radar, eventually showing their true colors.
And then there was Grayson.
Grayson obviously thought she was pretty. She saw it in his eyes, heard it in his voice, but he didn’t seem to give a hoot about her celebrity status, and that made him even more appealing. Sex had never been on her priority list, but Grayson’s kisses were as hot as sex. And he practically oozed sexual prowess.Yup, she was definitely thinking about sex. A lot. He was right; other thoughts were going to have to battle for her brainpower today. But it was more than their kisses that made her feel so deeply connected to him. It was everything he did and said. It was ten months of falling for his thoughts, building a foundation, without the distraction of jealousy, or materialism, or press.
Her eyes drifted over the inky water, a feeling of bliss settling around her. She watched the children playing along the shore, their parents smiling and holding hands. Her thoughts returned to Grayson and how happy he’d been last night with his family and friends, reminding her again of how much he’d given up to take the assignment with the foundation.
Christmaswoofedand darted toward the driveway, where Grayson was pulling in. She had to stop herself from sprinting over, too. The Grunter’s Ironworks logo on the side of his truck brought back his remark about being a lowly steelworker and tripped up her heart. He was obviously kidding, but the truth was, a lot of people in the entertainment business dismissed those who weren’t in the industry. It had always infuriated her, but she knew there was no changing people like that. That was the heartrending reality of the industry.
Grayson stepped from the truck and knelt to love up her boy, smiling as Christmas lavished him with slobbery kisses. She’d hated leaving Christmas behind when she was on location. But film sets didn’t always make for pet-friendly environments. Especially big attention-loving dogs like hers. Watching Grayson shower him with attention without a care about his dog breath, slobbery kisses, or getting fur on his clothes made her heart swell. She didn’t care what anyone else might think about his profession. She liked Grayson’s world, and boy, did she ever like him.
I’m here now. This is my real life, and I’m going to live it.
Christmas trotted happily beside him with an enormous bone hanging from his mouth, making her feel even fuller.
“You brought my boy a present?” She wound her arms around Grayson’s neck and kissed him.
“Mm. I brought you something, too.” He leaned in for another smoldering kiss, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake.
“You sure did,” she said dreamily.
Christmas pushed his head between them, obviously not done with Grayson yet. Grayson laughed, framed the dog’s face with his big hands, and kissed his snout. “I need a minute with your mom, buddy. Go eat that treat.” He held up a scroll of design paper. “More ideas.”
“But I love the fish. They go perfectly with the property.”
